Bottles from the Springs

Bottles from the Springs-7/28/2019 Happy last Sunday in July! And I have to admit that the Notes passed out during today's gathering are just so good in covering the outline of the material spoken about that I am not going to attempt to chatter on here about that-just to say that if you did not get the notes, please ask via e-mail through the website for a copy of the handout (at 12springschurch.com ) or at our Facebook Site. Or if you do not have access to any form of smartphone or tablet or laptop or computer at all, come visit or call and request a copy. You can even come on a Sunday or at any of our weekday small groups and ask there for a copy. Someone can help you find that! But I am just so glad that This Sunday I heard the teaching that Discipline is a description of being a Disciple of Jesus – or that you are being a Jesus follower! In fact we heard a lot about what healthy Spiritual Discipline is Not! So Do you want to be more like Jesus? What barriers have stopped you from doing that? What can you do to overcome the barriers? The last thing that this writer-and right here and now please know that (self-disclosure here) I do know myself to be a Jesus follower-desires,the Last Thing, is to lay a layer of guilt or demand that someone must do some activity to live up to some standard- because anything that leads to legalism becomes a barrier in itself to being a follower of Jesus. We did mention the activity of the Holy Spirit in a person called the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Once we mention that passage of the Bible people think it is a list of rules to follow. Nothing could be farther form the truth. Instead it is what the Holy Spirit does in a person. A tree does not try to do an apple, the apple grows as a process of life in the tree! In the same part of Scripture there is a list of human works-things people do and produce-but it's not anything good! So, Getting close to Jesus results in us becoming His disciples or students and that means a relationship in which His life shines through us. As you consider this please read

Hebrews 12:1-3 New International Version (NIV) 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. So, Let's run for the Joy! Your fellow follower of Jesus.